Abstract
This essay examines the itineraries of blocks of marble quarried for Michelangelo and focuses on sculptures he made for the Tomb of Julius II (completed in 1545). From geographical-geological origins in the Apuan Alps, the marble moved across land and over waterways to Pisa, Florence, Rome, Paris, and beyond. The marbles' movements marked time for Michelangelo and other people who encountered these objects, and marks of time are foregrounded -- but also obscured -- by the marble. The essay and an accompanying interactive digital map trace the material and its movements from primordial deep time, through the early modern period, to the Anthropocene.
Recommended Citation
Walsh, Catherine. "Mapping Michelangelo's Marble and Its Temporalities." Artl@s Bulletin 8, no. 3 (2019): Article 5.
